Former Trump Cabinet Official Claims Marijuana Rescheduling Would ‘Worsen The Crisis’ Of Crime

Ben Carson, who led President Donald Trump’s Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) during his first term, is speaking out against a
marijuana rescheduling proposal that the current administration is actively
considering.

In an op-ed published by Fox News on Thursday, the former HUD secretary
suggested that reclassifying cannabis as a Schedule III drug under the
Controlled Substances Act (CSA) conflicts with the president’s efforts to
end “the crime epidemic destroying American cities.”

He said while “there are many factors contributing to high crime rates, we
cannot ignore one that’s dominated the national debate in recent weeks: the
prevalent use of marijuana, a trend which is growing in our urban centers.”

“As the president starts cleaning up our streets, a cabal of Soros-funded
activists are pushing for a dangerous Blue City-style policy that will
worsen the crisis: rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III,” Carson claimed.
“Even well-intentioned but misguided activists are now advocating to loosen
marijuana restrictions through efforts to reschedule the drug.”

A Schedule III designation would not federally legalize cannabis. It would,
however, acknowledge that it has medical use and allow state-licensed
marijuana businesses to take federal tax deductions they’ve been barred
from under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. It would
also lift certain research barriers that apply to Schedule I drugs.

“I urge caution when we consider such sweeping changes. The intent may be
compassionate, but the consequences are certainly harmful,” the former
Trump administration official wrote. “As someone who’s spent decades caring
for the health and well-being of families across America, I have seen
firsthand how substance abuse devastates lives and communities.”

He also linked cannabis use with increased crime, and he argued that
legalization is associated with “substance-use disorders” and “chronic
homelessness.”

“Negative consequences follow liberalized drug policies like night follows
day. It makes sense that order and civil society suffer the more you give
license for individuals to engage in antisocial behavior such as abusing
drugs,” Carson said. “More and more locations are learning the hard way
that easing drug prohibitions can have disastrous consequences.”

“If one thing is clear from crime-controlled areas, it’s this: rampant drug
use is fueling the fire. This truth is reflected across countless American
cities,” he said. “As a former pediatric neurosurgeon who is deeply
concerned for America’s future generations, I believe we must approach
marijuana policy with caution and allow sound evidence to guide the debate.”

“The health, safety and stability of our families depend on thoughtful,
responsible leadership—not experimenting with policies that fuel more crime
and suffering. Let’s instead focus on what truly makes our towns and cities
places where every American can thrive.”

The former Cabinet member’s comments come about eight years after he criticized
the impact that criminal drug enforcement has on disadvantaged communities.

Meanwhile, Trump’s former press secretary Sean Spicer and his long-time
advisor Roger Stone recently traded diverging takes on the prospect of the
administration moving forward on marijuana rescheduling.

Stone separately made the case for reform in an op-ed for Marijuana Moment
last week.

Nine GOP congressional lawmakers have called on the U.S. attorney general
to reject what they called a “corrupt and flawed” marijuana rescheduling
proposal.

In contrast to that letter from GOP lawmakers, a leading drug policy reform
group recently launched a petition urging the president to go further than
rescheduling by legalizing marijuana altogether.

The post Former Trump Cabinet Official Claims Marijuana Rescheduling Would
‘Worsen The Crisis’ Of Crime appeared first on Marijuana Moment.